


Welcome to Ryme City! Home of one liar, one childhood best friend turned distant detective turned- you get the picture!

by just_yeole_cryptid



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing, POKEMON Detective Pikachu (2019)
Genre: Brief features of Kaito Momota and Leon Kuwata lmao, Fluff, Gen, Kokichi ouma lies a lot, Kokichi ouma needs a hug, M/M, Not Beta Read, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, did i mention gay?, it's really gay, shuichi saihara needs a hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:08:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26419252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/just_yeole_cryptid/pseuds/just_yeole_cryptid
Summary: ~The saiouma, detective Pikachu, childhood friends fic that no one asked for but I made anyway~Kokichi Ouma had grown accustomed to his boring life, working real estate. He didn't much care for thrills and adventure as he used to, but when he gets a call from the Ryme City police department saying his childhood friend and crush (Shuichi was cute and put up with his antics, okay? hush.) had died in a car accident and Kokichi was listed as his emergency contact, he knew there was something else going on.Enter Pikachu. Shuichi's pokemon partner who supposedly perished in the same crash that killed Shuichi, and has no memory of the accident or anything before it which makes absolutely no sense.Can this unlikely duo unravel the mystery and find out what really happened to Shuichi? What's REALLY happening behind the scenes in Ryme and ARE jellies a real thing?
Relationships: Oma Kokichi/Saihara Shuichi
Comments: 5
Kudos: 58





	1. An unexpected visitor

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! If you've even made it this far in the fic. Wow. Honestly, good for you dog! Stick around if you think this is good, ig?? enjoy!  
> Quick aside, this isn't an EXACT replica of the detective Pikachu movie since I believe that the characters in these roles would act differently than the actual movie characters <3!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi gets a weird call asking him to come to Ryme to get his childhood best friend’s affairs in order after his untimely demise but some strange things happen that makes Kokichi question the reality of the situation.

“No, Kaito. I don’t _need_ a pokemon partner. And I’m not just being boring because of my ‘boring’ job.” Kokichi sighed for what felt like the hundredth time. “I’m okay!”

To tell you the truth, Kokichi wasn’t okay. 

He worked at a boring, dead-end job as a real-estate agent that didn’t even make him good money and ever since an incident with his _last_ pokemon partner, he could hardly go near the creatures.

To tell you the truth, his day was going pretty shitty already but hey, what’s one more bad thing?

“Hold on, I’ve gotta take this. Gimme one sec.” Kokichi said to Kaito. 

In reality, he _didn’t_ need to take the phone call but the Ryme City police department calling him seemed like a good enough excuse to worm his way out of this conversation so he figured, why not? 

It must be good if it was the big city cops! Maybe it was his old friend, Shuichi Saihara, who finally remembered he existed!

Instead of Shuichi, it was a, maybe, late twenties-early thirties _woman_ on the other end of the line.

“Is this a Kokichi Ouma?” She asked, in a low, somber tone.

“Um, yes, yes it is. How can I help you, ma’am?” Kokichi tried to match her tone of voice, lest he come off as insensitive.

“This is Kyoko Kirigiri. Did you know a Shuichi Saihara?” 

The “did” made Kokichi’s stomach drop.

“Yes, why? We knew each other way back when but we fell out of contact. Is he in some sort of trouble?” Kokichi asked, trying to keep his hands from shaking.

“I’m afraid that Mister Saihara was recently in a car accident. We couldn’t find his body but there’s no way he could’ve survived. You were his emergency contact in case anything should happen to him and you were supposed to handle his affairs in a worst case scenario.” Kyoko explained.

Kokichi almost dropped his phone.

“Th-this is a prank, right? There’s no way that reliable ‘ol Shuichi got into a _wreck._ He always ratted on me for my shitty driving.” He said with a weak laugh.

“I understand you’re in shock but this is no prank. It was raining heavily, the roads were slippery. Even the most experienced drivers can wreck. I’m very sorry for your loss.” 

_Bullshit._

_People say they’re sorry and they’re not. What a fucking liar._

“No need to be sorry! You didn’t crash his car!” Kokichi chuckled instead. “I’ll come up as soon as I can to get everything in order for him!”

With that, he hung up the phone and walked back to where Kaito was waiting for him.

“Everything all right, Kokichi?” Kaito asked, giving him a concerned look.  
“Um, yeah, no, everything’s fine! I’m-uh- I’ve been asked to go to Ryme City on some business! We’ve got an important deal that we _really_ have to cinch!” The lie came easily, as they always did.  
Kokichi just hoped that Kaito didn’t notice the slight sheen to his eyes.

If he did, he didn’t say anything.

And so, Kokichi found himself on the earliest train to Ryme City to mourn his childhood best friend’s death and to get everything in order.

What a way to get reacquainted.

He found himself scrolling through an article about the accident but zoned out halfway through.

The hurt was too new for any of this.

Kokichi put his phone in his bag with a hard shove before curling up on the seat and going to sleep.

**Kokichi smiled at Shuichi as they laid on their backs in one of the fields around town.**

**Kokichi’s Purloin was stretched out next to him, sunning herself.**

**Shuichi absently reached between them and grabbed Kokichi’s hand with a smile.**

**“I wanna stay like this forever! I’ll become a famous detective and you’ll be my trusty sidekick!” Shuichi said, turning to face Kokichi with a blinding grin.**

**“Who says I’m a sidekick?!” Kokichi exclaimed in fake outrage before they both started laughing.**

**A faint blush dusted Kokichi’s cheeks as he stared at Shuichi.**

**_I wanna stay like this forever…_ **

Kokichi jolted awake from his dream as the train reached the station.

“Stupid Kokichi, getting stuck in your stupid thoughts.” He reprimanded himself under his breath.

It was just because he hadn’t seen Shuichi in forever.

And now he would never see him again, unless it was in a body bag.

Morbid thoughts aside, the Ryme City train station was _overwhelming._

Kokichi had never seen this many people, let alone pokemon, in one place before.

There were no pokeballs in sight, just people and pokemon cooperating. 

Then again, he’s pretty sure that’s what their benevolent president, Junko Enoshima, is supposed to stand for.

Then again, she’s always seemed like a fake-ass bitch to Kokichi so he shouldn’t really be one to judge.

As he weaved through people, he distinctly noticed quite a few dirty looks, no doubt for his lack of partner.

Let them think what they will. 

His business is his business and if he doesn’t want one extra life-form to worry about when he can barely worry about himself, that is _his_ business.

After making his way out of the train station, he was greeted with the sight of a city street in the evening.

The night-market was bustling, with all kinds of stalls set up in front of buildings with almost blindingly bright neon signs out front, drawing you in.

If this was any other day, under any other circumstances, Kokichi would’ve stopped at each stall and looked in the front windows of each store, oohing and ahhing over what they were selling or what they were doing.

But instead, he kept his eyes forward, holding back tears as he made his way down to the police station.

He tried not to think about how Shuichi (the Shuichi that he knew from before he moved) must have loved it here.

After a lot of walking and a single stop to get a drink, Kokichi arrived at his destination.

Lucky him.

He was given the number of Kyoko’s office and told to go up and fetch the few belongings that Shuichi kept in his desk and the key to his apartment from her.

Kyoko was an elegant young woman, with long white-purple hair and piercing purple eyes that made you want to confess everything wrong you’ve ever done in your life. Not surprising that she was one of the chief officers.

“Ah, Mister Ouma, come in and have a seat.” She said, gesturing in front of her desk.

Kokichi nodded his head and took a seat, giving her his most convincing smile.

“I understand how hard it must be, losing a friend. Shuichi was a kind soul and a capable detective. It’s only been a few days since his untimely demise and we already miss him dearly, although as his childhood friend I understand that this must be even more difficult for you.” Kyoko said with a soft, sympathetic smile.

_Great. A pity party. Just what I needed._

“I-I’m not all _that_ torn up. Of course it’s sad that someone I know is dead but we fell out of contact once he moved to Ryme and got so busy with work. What happened to him is tragic, of course, he was _a capable officer.”_ Kokichi said, giving her another smile.

Kyoko seemed shocked.

“I-I apologize. I didn’t mean to assume, I just thought that you were close since you’re his emergency contact.” She said, quickly.

“Don’t worry about it. I’d just like to gather his things and get his apartment cleaned out so I can go home.” For once, Kokichi told the truth but not because he was in a particularly honest mood.

He just wanted to go home and drown his sorrows, preferably in ice cream and locking himself up in his room.

Kyoko nodded and handed him the small envelope of Shuichi’s things, before pressing the key to Shuichi’s apartment into his palm.

“If you ever need to talk to someone, I’m here.” She said, firmly.

Kokichi almost bared his soul to her then and there, but instead, he nodded and left the office, speed-walking out of the building, then breaking into a dead sprint down the street.

He just had to get out of there.

It was stifling.

Once he finally slowed and looked at the address for Shuichi’s building, he was already halfway there.

Sometimes, running away from your problems _does_ have its merits!

He took it slow on the last couple of blocks, already worn out and wanting to save his strength for tomorrow when he’d have to clean out the apartment.

Shuichi was never a _messy_ person but he’d probably have corkboards scattered everywhere for all the old cases he worked on. 

Or maybe he turned into a messy person when he and Kokichi stopped talking.

Maybe he was always a messy person and Kokichi didn’t actually know him…

Upon arrival, the person at the front desk ignored him. Their Treecko gave him a friendly wave, but that was it.

Good. He didn’t feel like talking anyways.

Kokichi checked the mailbox before going up, seeing it overflowing with, mostly, junk mail.

“I’ve been waiting to see who would open that mailbox.” A girl’s voice called from the top of the stairs.

A Psyduck crowded itself around his ankles.

_Great. Just what I needed. Some crazy fangirl of Shuichi’s._

“You’ve just stepped into _quite_ the story.” She chuckled as she descended the stairs.

“Okay. Is there any way to step _out?”_ Kokichi asked, putting on his most innocent expression.

The girl gave him a strange look as he turned his back to her and gently closed the mailbox. He’d go through all that later.

“I’m Kaede. Kaede Akamatsu, reporter for CNN.” She said, extending a hand towards him.

Kokichi turned back to face her with a surprised look on his face, carefully crafted down to the last detail.

He did _not_ want to deal with this right now.

“Oh my gosh!!! I’ve read some of your stuff! Top ten cutest pokemon listicles and stuff like that, right? I mean, c’mon, news flash, they’re all cute!” He exclaimed in an overly bubbly voice.

Kaede nodded along with him before shaking her head as if to clear it.

“That’s not the point! Listen, I know a story when I see one and the mysterious death of one of the greatest detectives of our time? _That’s_ a story. If I can just get this scoop, people will see me for the _great_ reporter that I can be!” Kaede huffed.

 _You make me_ **_sick._ **

Kokichi waited for her to pull out her recording device, albeit a little impatiently.

“It was raining heavily, the roads were slippery. Even the most experienced drivers can wreck.” He said, feeding Kyoko’s line to Kaede. “Can I ask _you_ a question, Miss Akamatsu?” She nodded, giving him the go-ahead. “Is Shuichi’s death just a claim-to-fame for you? Because there are actual, real-life people that will miss him.”

Kaede was at a loss for words.

“Get _‘the scoop’_ by all means. But don’t just do it to further your career. Do it because there are people in mourning who want to know what _really_ happened to Shuichi Saihara.” Kokichi said, face devoid of emotion as he patted her shoulder and began the ascent up the stairs.

“I _will_ get to the bottom of this.” Kaede said, although he assumed it was mostly to herself.

Still, he muttered, 

“You do that, reporter girl. You do that.”

It turned out that Shuichi’s apartment _was_ messy! But not in the messy of “there’s an actual human being living here”. It was more of a torn up mess like Shuichi was desperately looking for something.

 _Strange. Shuichi was always so put together. He_ **_never_ ** _lost things…_

Kokichi strolled through the mess which had a clear pathway to three places.

There was one leading to Shuichi’s bedroom, one leading to what Kokichi assumed was the guest bedroom, and another leading to the desk that sat in the back, dead-center of the living room.

He went to the desk first, poking around everything that was scattered on top of it.

There was a purple file-folder with articles in it, mostly about Mew and Mew-two, with what seemed to be photos of ancient drawings of the pokemon.

Kokichi slid open the drawer on the desk and saw a strange vial with a purple, smoke-like substance.

He opened it, purely out of curiosity, and was hit directly in the face.

Kokichi slammed open the window behind the desk and released the rest out into the streets of Ryme.

Kokichi capped the vial and slipped it into his pocket, just in case, before he went into the guest room. 

He _did_ need a place to stay, after all.

Inside, it was neat and organized with a few things set up around.

Such as one of Kokichi’s old championship posters that he’d given to Shuichi.

He gazed at it for a long time before he moved on, noticing the letter that was being composed on the desk.

_“Dear Kokichi,_

 _Hi. I don’t really know how to start this but… I wanted to let you know that I miss talking to you. You were my closest friend and I don’t know_ **_what_ ** _happened. I guess I got busy with work in the city and we just fell out of touch. That’s my fault. You can say no to this, 100% but it never hurts to ask. I was wondering if you wanted to come up to Ryme City and visit for a few days. Catch up on everything I missed. We were super close and I guess… I guess I miss that. I miss_ **_you._ ** _Again, feel free to say no if you want but, I’d appreciate it if you came up. I miss my best friend._

_Your friend (still, hopefully), Shuichi.”_

Kokichi put a hand over his mouth to stifle a sob as he read the letter.

Shuichi _missed_ him?

Kokichi finally let himself cry, collapsing to his knees and burying his face in his hands.

It was short-lived, however, as he heard a strange rustling and the pitter-patter sound of footsteps coming from within the apartment.

Kokichi quickly wiped at his eyes with his sleeves before he got to his feet, gathered his nerves, and stepped out into the room.

There was no obvious sign of intrusion, other than the door being slightly open and some of the things on the floor being moved.

He grabbed the closest object he could find, which turned out to be a stapler.

That did not bode well for him.

The lamp swung around and illuminated the silhouette of… Something? It didn’t look human so he wasn’t sure.

“Who’s there? Listen, I took gym for fifteen years so I’m not weak. Just state your name and what you’re doing in here.” Kokichi called.

The lamp was bumped and there was a scurrying sound as suddenly, a Pikachu appeared on the box in front of him.

“Listen. You can’t understand me. But I’m here because I have a hat with this address inside.” Pikachu said slowly.

Kokichi dropped the stapler.

“Holy fuck.” He whispered.

“Waitwaitwait. Can you understand me?” Pikachu asked, gazing up at Kokichi.

“No?” Kokichi squeaked out.

“Holy shit, you can understand me!” It exclaimed. “Maybe you can help me here! What are you doing in this apartment, wh-what am _I_ doing in this apartment?!”

“Sl-slow down. I’m still confused about how we’re talking to each other.” Kokichi said, holding up a hand.

“R-right! Take your time!” Pikachu chirped, adjusting itself on top of the box.

_Think Kokichi! This is no time to be stupid! What would a Pikachu have to do with Shu-_

“You’re his pokemon partner.” Kokichi blurted.

“I’m what? I’m _who’s_ pokemon partner?” Pikachu asked, bouncing in excitement.

“Sh-Shuichi Saihara.” Kokichi couldn’t stop his voice from breaking.

“Whoa, okay. You sound really torn up about this. I’m assuming something happened to him?” It scooted closer to Kokichi on the box.

“Do you have _any_ recollection _whatsoever_ of a car wreck?” Kokichi asked.

“Barely. I don’t remember much. Just… Getting into a wreck, a boy with blue hair and yellow eyes, and… No, that’s it.” Pikachu shook its head, sadly.

“I-if you _survived_ the wreck… Then-Then there’s a chance that Shuichi did too… You’re smaller than him, more likely to get injured, but you seem to have healed up fine… Did you see any medics after the accident?” Pikachu shook his head. “Does anyone even know you’re alive?”

“Nope. Just you. Am-am I supposed to be dead?” Pikachu looked up at him in confusion.

“You and Shuichi got into a _bad_ accident a few days ago. They still haven’t recovered Shuichi’s body so he’s been assumed dead.” Kokichi explained. “But assumed doesn’t mean he _is_ dead. Especially if _you_ survived.”

Pikachu was about to speak but was interrupted by an Aipom flinging itself through the window.

It’s eyes were an _angry,_ swirling, misty purple as it stared them down.

Kokichi scooped the Pikachu up without a second thought and _bolted._

He swung the door shut behind them, not that it would help much.

There were other Aipom coming up the stairs from the lobby and Kokichi groaned. If he did this right, he could probably make it to the roof and safely get them down to the ground with maybe some minor scrapes and bruises on his part.

Pikachu was confused to say the least as Kokichi sprinted for the stairs, taking them three at a time.

When they got to the roof, Kokichi swung the door shut, grabbed a loose rope nearby, and tied it shut as best he could.

The Aipoms slammed against it, making the door shudder.

Kokichi surveyed his surroundings, trying to find a way down.

There was a long garbage chute all the way on the other side of the rooftop.

“If I just go for it, we could probably be down in like… two minutes tops. One if I _really_ push it.” Kokichi mumbled.

“WHAT?! ARE YOU _CRAZY?!”_ Pikachu exclaimed, digging its claws into his shirt.

“Probably! Hold on tight!”

They made it across the roof in record time, mostly due to Kokichi’s adrenaline kicking in halfway through when he heard the door get busted down and the whooping of the Aipom following them.

Kokichi dived down the garbage chute, cradling Pikachu against his chest to make sure he didn’t get hurt.

“We all good?” Kokichi said breathlessly as they sat for a moment.

“Yeah…” Pikachu said thoughtfully.

“Great, because we _need_ to keep going!” Kokichi chirped, watching Aipom tumble off the building and into the alleyway.

He ran, full tilt, until he reached the entryway to the alley. He slowed his pace there before looking back behind him.

The Aipom looked… Normal? They didn’t look like they wanted to kill him… In fact, they handed him the hat that Pikachu dropped which looked _exactly_ like Shuichi’s.

“Thanks guys… Sorry about all that.” Kokichi chuckled, not sure if they could understand him.

The Aipom only smiled as if they knew what he was trying to say before they disappeared back into the alleyway.

“Well. That was. An experience, to be sure!” Kokichi chirped as he tucked the hat back onto Pikachu’s head. “So. How do we feel about coffee?” 

Pikachu nodded at him, albeit a little confused as Kokichi hefted the pokemon up onto his shoulder, earning a surprised squeak.


	2. Tenative partnership...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi and Pikachu have a talk which leads to them forming a sort-of alliance.  
> Kaede gives them more questions than answers.  
> Junko is suspicious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Chapter two which is MUCH shorter than chapter one but I'm working on rewatching the movie just to get my timeline of events in order so bear with me for a bit! Thank you so much! Enjoy <3!!

They settled down at the cafe, a quaint little place with a Ludicolo as a waitress, which Kokichi found infinitely amusing.  
“Y’know, they don’t do stuff like this back home. Pokemon partners are for battles and that’s pretty much it. There’s the select few that really take the time to get to know their partners and form that close bond and those people… Those people ascend to the top. They’re the elite of the elite in Pokemon battles.” Kokichi chuckled, settling down at a booth with Pikachu hopping up on the table across from him.  
“Do you do that? If you have a Pokemon partner, that is. I don’t want to assume.” Pikachu asked.  
Kokichi fought to keep the hurt off of his face as he looked at Pikachu, dead in the eyes and said,   
“No. Never done that with a Pokemon partner. I don’t have one as of right now, anyways.”  
Pikachu looked thoughtful for a moment, if that’s even an expression a Pokemon can have, before he took a contemplative sip of his coffee.  
“I… I wanted to ask you some questions about Shuichi, if that’s okay. I know you think he’s dead and this could be hard but he’s not dead and I want to get him back. I think you do, too.” Pikachu said, slowly.  
Kokichi gave the Pokemon an odd look, examining his furry little face, trying to pick out any hint of a lie, as he always did when he wanted so desperately to believe something.  
Finally, he waved his hand towards Pikachu, leaning back in his seat, he said,  
“Ask away.”  
The emotion that passed over Pikachu’s face could only be described as relief as he adjusted his hat.  
“What is your relationship to the deceased?” Pikachu asked, shifting to face Kokichi more.  
“We were childhood best friends but we fell out of touch when he moved to Ryme. Although…” Kokichi patted in his pockets before finding the letter and holding it out to Pikachu.  
“He was… Planning on inviting you to visit?” Pikachu mumbled, eyes darting over the paper.  
“Looks that way, doesn’t it?” Kokichi said, nodding his head slightly.  
“Usually, when people have something important planned, subconsciously, they’re more careful. I don’t think Shuichi would’ve been driving in such heavy rain on a dark night unless it was important.” Pikachu explained, absently.  
“Mm. Comforting.” Kokichi grumbled, sarcastically.  
“No! Um, no that’s not what I meant. I meant, whatever was on that road that he was driving to, or away from, could be essential in finding out what happened to Shuichi.” Pikachu told him, handing the letter back. “What else do you know?”  
 _Ah fuck._  
 _This is a bad idea. What if he gets attached and the same thing that happened last time happens again?_  
“I know that this is ridiculous and will probably get us nowhere. I also know that I have no intentions of working with a pokemon.” Kokichi huffed, moving to stand.  
“Hold on, hold on! Wait a minute. Why not? Don’t you want to know what happened to Shuichi?” Pikachu hurried over to Kokichi’s side of the table to grab onto his sleeve.  
Kokichi sat back down and glared at the pokemon.  
“Listen, I’ll tell you what Miss Kirigiri said. It. Was. An. Accident. And he’s dead, you surviving the wreck or not.” He growled.  
“But you don’t believe that. Do you? You’re going to go all lone wolf and try and figure it out on your own but you won’t be able to. You need my help, just like I need yours.” Pikachu snapped back.  
Kokichi bit his lip.   
No one had ever called him out on a lie like that since Shuichi.  
Taking his silence as resistance, Pikachu continued to plead his case.  
“We can help each other! You can get places I can’t and vice versa! We have double the range of interrogation that we would have working alone! We were meant to be partners and figure this out together! I-I can feel it in my jellies!” The last part came out as a sort of strangled, confused sentence but it made Kokichi freeze up all the same.  
That was an inside joke he and Shuichi had when they were kids.  
Once, Kokichi said it, just to make Shuichi laugh that sort of dying hyena laugh, when he laughed so hard he couldn’t breath and then they just never stopped saying it.  
Maybe this meant Kokichi was a sentimental fool.  
Maybe it meant that his seventeen year crush (yes, he’d been crushing on Shuichi since they were five) hadn’t fully gone away.  
Maybe it just meant he wanted answers.  
“Fine. I’ll work with you.” Kokichi whispered, half-certain he hadn’t actually said it.  
But the smile (do pokemon smile??) that Pikachu gave him was conformation enough that, yes, he really had agreed to this.   
“Y-you’ll do it? You’ll work with me?” He gasped, his little paws curling tighter into Kokichi’s sleeve.  
Kokichi closed his eyes and took a deep breath before sighing.  
“Yes. I’ll work with you.”  
“Great! Now, first order of business, do you have any information at all? Anyone who could get us information?” Pikachu asked, still beaming, still holding his sleeve.  
Kokichi pried Pikachu’s paws off before sighing again.  
“Unfortunately, I do.”

After a night's rest at Shuichi’s apartment, the pair of them made their way to GNN.  
Kokichi managed to sneak them into the filming of their latest broadcast, which was news about the upcoming anniversary for the founding of Ryme City, hosted by the woman herself, Junko Enoshima!  
She was even more suspicious and bitchy in real life.  
She was giving some spiel about how a kinship with pokemon managed to help her discover a way to save herself from her illness and she was so inspired that she founded Ryme City to share the glory of her discovery with the world!  
 _Probably some bullshit, super villain level ulterior motive._  
Kokichi was jerked from his thoughts as he saw Kaede Akamatsu walking through the studio.  
He swallowed his pride and called out to her.  
“Hey! Kaede! Can I talk to you?”   
She looked over at him, confused, until recognition set in.  
Kaede seemed conflicted until her eyes fell onto the Pikachu at his side and she instantly relaxed before walking over.  
“Y’know, I always say, if a pokemon trusts someone, they can’t be all bad!” She chirped in that overly bubbly voice of hers.  
“Yeah well, he’s not my partner. He’s Shumai’s. That’s Shuichi Saihara.” Kokichi chuckled.   
Kaede’s eyes went wide as she looked between Kokichi and Pikachu.  
“R-really? Where’d you find him?” She asked.  
“I think the little guy found his way to the apartment with an address in Shumai’s hat.” Kokichi shrugged, patting the hat on Pikachu’s head.  
Kaede wrinkled her nose.  
“Why do you call him Shumai?” She asked, squinting at him.  
“It’s just a stupid nickname from when we were kids and I got in the habit of it. Now I can’t stop. Anyways, something more important than a ridiculous nickname I gave Shuichi.” Kokichi huffed, reaching in his pocket.   
Kaede straightened up, almost at attention as Kokichi pulled out the vial that was labelled with a large, black R.  
“Any idea what this is?” He whispered, his eyes cutting over to Junko Enoshima who was giving them quite a strange look.  
He offered her his most professional smile which made her instantly shift away, embarrassed that she had been caught.  
“Um, yes. But we can’t talk here and you need to hide that!” Kaede hissed, drawing his attention back to her. “We’ll talk in my office.”  
Kokichi tucked the vial back into his pocket as nonchalantly as possible before gesturing for Kaede to lead the way.  
Kaede’s office was… Interesting. Or at least, that’s what Pikachu said.  
“Interesting? It’s like a coffin with pencils.” Kokichi huffed.  
Pikachu pinched Kokichi’s neck from where he was perched on the other’s shoulder.  
Kaede either didn’t hear him, or she ignored him as she began shuffling around through the drawers on her desk.  
A straighter man would’ve been flustered.  
Kokichi however, was quite annoyed and wanted his personal space back.  
“Dude, did they like, not teach you about the bubble in kindergarten?” He griped, shifting around to put as much space between them as possible.  
“I know what the bubble is! And it’s not like I want to be leaned up on you! I just can’t reach my desk to show you this if I don’t!” With a flourish, she revealed several empty bottles, identical to the ones that Kokichi had stuffed in his pocket.  
“Wh-where did you find these?” He asked, reaching out for them before Kaede smacked his hand back.  
“Right around… Here!” She exclaimed, jabbing her finger towards the Ryme City docks on a very detective-esque board.  
 _She and Shumai would've gotten on **great**._  
“So we go there, we find R?” Kokichi whispered.  
Pikachu nodded in agreement.  
Kokichi’s face spread into a bright smile.  
This was feeling more and more like a murder investigation by the second!  
“Great! Then to the docks we go! Thanks Kaede!” And with that, he was off again, Pikachu clutching to his shoulder for dear life, leaving a very confused Kaede behind.


	3. Something fishy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi and Pikachu make their way to the docks to find Shuichi's informant.  
> It's... Interesting, to say the least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! It's been a while since the last chapter, super sorry about that! I'm working super hard to get these chapters out but I do have other things that I'm working on which IS kind of forcing this fic to take a backburner. Never fear, I am going to get back in the swing of things and make an attempt to balance my workload better so please bear with me! Chapters may still be infrequent as of this current moment BUT! I am doing my best!

The docks were scary at night.

Shadows loomed all around them, without the normal glow of neon that the city had.

Just shadows and boats and empty warehouses.

Kokichi was pretty sure now wasn't a good time to mention that he's afraid of the dark.

To Kokichi, everything looked frightening, from the lapping of the waves, to the boats rocking on the ocean… Even to his own damn shadow…

"Do you know what we're looking for?" Pikachu asked, breaking the silence and startling Kokichi so badly he jumped.

"Ah, um, no. I think… I'm thinking it's a Pokémon or something… I saw some stuff scattered around the apartment and I'd like to  _ think  _ I still know Shuichi's thought process after all these years." Kokichi whispered, almost afraid of breaking the ambiance on the docks.

Pikachu gave him a strange look, trying to climb up on his shoulder.

Kokichi gently brushed him off and placed him back on the ground.

"Nuh-uh. Who do I look like?? That famous trainer, Ash Ketchum? I don't think so." He griped.

"Listen, you have much larger legs, therefore, strides than I do. Me riding on your shoulder would be more convenient for all of us." Pikachu explained, as calmly as possible.

Kokichi rolled his eyes and looked away from Pikachu before his eyes landed on something.

A Mr. Mime?

He reached down and grabbed Pikachu by the scruff of his neck and ducked to the side. 

"You think that's it?" Pikachu whispered to him.

Kokichi nodded and slipped forward, keeping them pressed into the shadows.

The Mr. Mime did indeed seem suspect enough to be their informant so Kokichi took the plunge and stepped in front of it, being sure to keep Pikachu (and the hat) on full display.

As Mr. Mime's eyes widened, Kokichi's eyes narrowed.

"Good evening, Mr. Mime. Based on your reaction, I'm sure you recognize this Pikachu." 

Mr. Mime attempted to backpedal, and run away by… Jumping on a bike?

"P-Pikachu, what is it doing?" Kokichi whispered.

"It's trying to get away!! Stop it!!" Pikachu exclaimed.

Kokichi stared at it.

It wasn't going anywhere.

Kokichi bit his lip and looked to Pikachu for guidance who made a vague gesture with his hands.

Kokichi didn't exactly understand so he just… Stepped in front of the bike.

Mr. Mime flailed as if he had wrecked the bike before collapsing to the ground, presumably passed out.

"I-I guess he should've worn a helmet?" Kokichi said, more of a question than anything.

Pikachu rolled his eyes and grumbled,

"Just haul him inside."

Kokichi propped Mr. Mime up on a chair and splashed water on its face as Pikachu hopped up onto a table with a lamp on it, aimed at Mr. Mime.

"All right Mime, spill it. I hate clowns and want to spend the least amount of time with you possible." Kokichi snarked.

"Don't patronize him." Pikachu sighed. "Yes, I understand Kokichi, he understands me. Don't ask us how, we don't know."

Kokichi nodded sagely along, pretending he knew what patronize meant.

This seemed to catch Mr. Mime's attention as he considered it a moment before making a gesture that seemed to mean "what do you want to know?".

Pikachu looked up at Kokichi as if to ask "what should I say? What should I ask?".

Kokichi shrugged and mouthed "as if I'd know.".

Pikachu contemplated for a moment before Mr. Mime made a "get on with it" gesture, that got Pikachu panicked.

"Uh-um-uh-ugh, h-have you seen me before???" He stammered out, unsure of himself.

Mr. Mime made a gesture far above his head and pointed to the hat Pikachu was wearing then to Pikachu himself.

Pikachu blinked, confused, as Kokichi registered what the gestures meant.

"You were with someone about that tall, wearing that hat, I assume." Kokichi explained.

Mr. Mime nodded enthusiastically.

_ Bingo! _

"You know what he's saying??" Pikachu asked.

"It's just piecing together what they meant and hoping for the best, I guess." Kokichi shrugged. "Did the boy have dark blue hair and yellow eyes?"

Mr. Mime nodded again.

"Well, what was he here for?" Pikachu asked.

Mr. Mime made a motion like zipping his lips and throwing away a key.

"Are you kidding." Kokichi groaned. "This is why I hate mimes! I'm done. I'm just. I'm outie."

"Oh no you're not!" Pikachu snapped, grabbing onto Kokichi. "If we're in this together, we're in this together, you understand? You're here now and you need to figure just what the hell we're supposed to do!"

Kokichi huffed and turned back around.

"Help us out here, Mime. C'mon." He whined.

Mr. Mime pointed at Kokichi then pushed to the side.

"Oh even I know that one. He's telling you to shove it." Pikachu chuckled.

"Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence." Kokichi said, dryly.

Kokichi stood there, racking his brain as Mr. Mime's face got smugger and smugger.

In a fit of rage, Kokichi charged at him, only to be met with one of Mr. Mime's trademarked invisible walls.

He seemed to settle on his chair and sip on invisible tea, mocking them.

"I wish I could torch that bastard." Kokichi snapped.

Pikachu blinked a couple times before saying.

"Maybe… Maybe you could. At least threaten it…" He said thoughtfully.

"Wait, wait, wait. Isn't that homicide in Ryme??" Kokichi yelped.

He certainly didn't want to become a criminal today, although maybe conducting an investigation without police consent was illegal. He didn't really care about that kind of crime but murder??? 

No way.

Not for him.

"No, no!! Do unto others as you want done unto you!" Pikachu explained.

"That sounds like the preachy shit that Shuichi would say that I'd ignore." Kokichi said, flatly.

"If he's miming then  _ maybe  _ that'll work for us." Pikachu huffed, as if he was talking to a child.

Kokichi's face shifted to one of realization, then to one of pure, practically evil delight.

"Oh I can do that."

Mr. Mime watched as Kokichi walked up to his space and knocked on the door.

"Hi! Coming in for a courtesy visit!" He chirped, searching for the doorknob.

He smiled when he found it before swinging open the door and stepping into the small, cramped space.

He formed a gas canister with his hands before pouring it around the inside of the house.

Kokichi lit a match with a sinister grin as he looked at Mr. Mime. 

"Now then… You're gonna tell me what I wanna know, yeah?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... About that chapter, huh.  
> A little sidenote about why this chapter is the way that it is:  
> Simply, the dock scene never stuck with me. There were some humorous bits that I did my best to incorporate but other than that, the only importance was them learning where to find R so I didn't really know how to make this a fundamental chapter. This was, unfortunately, the best I could do for it. Future chapters WILL be better, especially on sections I find easier to translate to book format.


	4. Pokemon battles, past trauma, and police custody

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi's onto something with the R.  
> We learn a little more about him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiiii! Just a quick aside before we begin, this chapter goes quite a bit differently from the actual events of the detective Pikachu movie, which I'm trying to avoid as much as possible but I thought it would spice things up a bit and also just fit the characters better!

"This feels… Thuggish…" Pikachu whispered, settled on Kokichi's shoulder.

Kokichi in all honesty should've felt the same, but the neon lights and the battle arena… It was a little different but the feeling was  _ there.  _

He even ignored Pikachu being settled on his shoulder, too wrapped up in it all.

"Kokichi? Are you listening right now? I think this might be a bad idea…" Pikachu prompted, doing, for all intents and purposes, was supposed to be a snap.

"Hm?" Kokichi was startled out of his reverie. "No, no, we'll be fine. This is the only place we can go to get answers, which is… What you wanted, right? Besides, if things go south, I have a built in get-out-of-jail free card."

"... Why does it feel like I knew you were going to say that?" Pikachu mumbled, heaving a sigh.

Kokichi laughed slightly, but he was mostly uncomfortable. 

_ Why  _ **_did_ ** _ Pikachu think that? No, no, not important. You're here to  _ **_work,_ ** _ Kokichi Ouma. _

Kokichi shook his head to clear his thoughts, and hopped up onto a nearby crate to elevate his viewpoint (short people problems, what do you want me to say?) and get a better look at the arena.

And for people to get a better look at him.

A man with wild, red hair spotted him from the other side of the arena.

"STOP! STOP! DON'T GO ANYWHERE!" The man shouted.

Kokichi knew that the man was talking to him but instead, he stupidly pointed at himself as if to say "me???? Really???".

Pikachu watched the man cross the arena and clutched at his head.

"You good?" Kokichi whispered.

Pikachu merely mumbled in response and waved it off.

_ Can Pokemon get headaches? I don’t actually know… Maybe it’s a memory thing… _

Once the man finally stopped in front of him, Kokichi’s first thought was.

_ Damn. Is that what passes as a beard these days? _

“That Pikachu. Right there.” The man panted.

“Whoa, slow down there, man. I don’t even know you and all of a sudden you want to battle with my partner?” Kokichi’s voice halted ever so slightly on the last word and he waited with baited breath for his lie to be discovered.

“No, that Pikachu. That Pikachu fought my Charizard and I want. A rematch.” The man still couldn’t catch his breath.

Kokichi kept his expression neutral but in reality, his thoughts were running a mile a minute.

Shuichi  _ had  _ been here.

“Let me start over.” The man said, straightening his back. “My name is Leon Kuwata, and I want a rematch with that Pikachu.”

A Charizard stretched its neck out of the shadows revealing Lichtenberg scars arcing across its face.

“Kokichi, I really don’t think this is a good idea I mean, let's weigh our options here, we can get our information anoth-” Pikachu began.

“You’re on, Leon. In exchange, you tell me  _ everything  _ I want to know.” Kokichi said, smugly.

If you pretend you’re confident, you’ll be confident, right?

Much to Pikachu’s dismay, Kokichi sent him out into the ring, taking off his hat for safekeeping.

“It’s gonna be okay, little dude. Just… Just follow my lead.” Kokichi said with a tentative smile.

_ Is this a good idea? Sending Pikachu out in the heat of battle, with me as his trainer? You remember what happened last time… You could just give up here, Kokichi… No. No, this is for Shumai. And you’d do anything for Shumai. Even face your fears, head on. _

Pikachu nodded hesitantly and pushed his way through the chain-link door, out into the ring.

“Okay, so remember, there’s really no playing field advantage here since it’s flat, unless that Charizard has some kind of status affect ability that changes it. Do you remember anything about your last battle with him?” Kokichi asked.

“No. Nothing, I’m afraid.” Pikachu sighed.

“Okay, okay, that’s fine. Since his head, therein probably his area of attack, is higher than yours, stay low to the ground and don’t try anything fancy. Or if you have to, scale the fence so you’re above his head, that way he’ll have to look up to get at you. Try and stay behind him as much as possible. Try and fuck with his tail but don’t snuff it out.” Kokichi explained, gesturing to different areas of the arena.

Pikachu nodded at him, trying to take it all in, struggling to keep up.

Kokichi was going to say more, but the announcer was back on stage, with the Loudreds ready to amp up the music. 

In retrospect, Kokichi should’ve been paying more attention to his opponent than to his Pokemon, but in that moment, trying to tell Pikachu what to do, panic had seized him.

In that moment, Kokichi didn’t see Pikachu, looking at him like he was a madman.

Kokichi saw Liepard, looking up at him with confidence in her eyes, confidence that they could win. Together.

And Kokichi had failed her.

But he wouldn’t fail Pikachu.

In a sense, he had failed Pikachu. Kokichi hadn’t kept his eye on Leon Kuwata and before they knew it, Charizard was doped up on R and on a total rampage.

When Charizard threw Pikachu into the chain-link followed soon by a sickening crack, Kokichi’s vision tunneled. He stopped breathing.

Then, reality hit as he realized Charizard had destroyed the glass aquarium near the arena with the strength of it’s roar and despite the rising problem of water flooding the room, Kokichi could breathe again, as he watched Pikachu struggle to his feet.

Kokichi grabbed the hat off of the crate next to him, swung open the door and made a mad dash for Pikachu, scooping him up and onto his shoulder before chasing after Leon who decided it was high time he made his escape.

Unfortunately for Leon, he wasn’t fast enough.

“Where the hell did you get that R?” Kokichi hissed, pulling him up by the collar of his jacket, water rising to his ankles now.

“I-I don’t know! I got it from some woman, always wearing glasses and pink gloves, they wanted me to test the supply and if it was good, sell it for them! Seriously man, you’re stupid if you think I know anything else!” Leon whimpered, trying to wriggle away.

While Kokichi didn’t appreciate being called stupid, he knew that Leon wasn’t lying. 

Despite Kokichi’s mounting disappointment, Leon  _ didn’t  _ know anything else. He could just tell.

“All right. But you’re on thin fucking ice. Quit selling R or  _ else.”  _ Kokichi growled before practically throwing Leon to the ground and walking out of the arena.

Hopefully Leon didn’t drown.

Outside, Kokichi realized he was in big trouble and he  _ absolutely  _ needed that built in get-out-of-jail-free card.

“Kokichi… What are you doing here?” Kyoko Kirigiri sighed, brushing her hair over her shoulder.

“I can explain.” He answered, quickly, hiding Shuichi’s hat behind his back.

“Yes, you can. Down at the station.” Kyoko replied.

_ Fuck. _

As it turned out, Kyoko Kirigiri didn’t mess around when it came to interrogation.

Despite his affiliation with one of her favorite officers, he was still given the same treatment as anyone else taken in under suspicion.

And that treatment was to be tucked away in a little, gray room, with a single metal table in the center, with one-way glass on one wall and a small door, bolted shut on the other, with one bright fluorescent light, beaming down from above him, glaring off of the table and the window, almost mockingly.

Kokichi absolutely understood that the purpose of locking him in here was to get him to crack under the pressure of being closed up, by himself, left to stew in his own thoughts and perhaps, if he had committed a crime, guilt.

As he had been quite the unruly child however, Kokichi was used to this kind of treatment, and merely stayed silent, humming a few lines to a song he couldn’t quite remember here and there.

Meanwhile, Pikachu, who seemed to take after Shuichi in the fact that he was a goody-two-shoes, was panicking.

“Th-this will go on my permanent record! I can’t let that happen! Wh-what about my prospects! I’m a detective’s pokemon partner! What will that do! What will Miss Kirigiri think because she  _ literally  _ mentored my trainer!” He exclaimed, pacing back and forth on the table.

Kokichi stayed silent, keeping his eyes trained on the table.

“And  _ you!  _ This is  _ your  _ fault! You’re the one that insisted we stay in that-that  _ illegal  _ battle arena!” Pikachu shouted, wheeling on him.

“You’re the one that wanted to team up. I’m just doing my part in trying to get Shumai back.” Kokichi hissed, still looking down.

This seemed to make Pikachu fall silent.

“Sorry…” He mumbled at last. “I guess I was just panicking.”

“It’s okay.” Kokichi soothed. “Just, chill out.”

Finally, after what seemed like ages, the door swung open, revealing Kyoko with a file under her arm.

“Kokichi, I understand that Shuichi’s loss may have been hard on you but going to illegal battle arenas? Really?” She seemed more exasperated than anything, which Kokichi counted as a blessing.

“I’m sorry, Miss Kirigiri, I really am. I just think I’m onto something with Shuichi’s disappearance.” Kokichi said, softly, almost as if he was trying not to be heard.

“Disappearance? Kokichi, I have said it once and I’ll say it again. Shuichi is dead. If you really must know what happened to him, take this. It contains a video tape of the accident, and all the information we compiled. Bring it back to me once you’re done with it.” With that, Kyoko patted him on the shoulder and exited the room, leaving the door open for him.

Kokichi flipped open the file to look at it but found a suspicious looking envelope.

On the front, it said, in neat handwriting,

_"Don't look at this here. Open when alone. -KK."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, it's been about a month in the making because I really just didn't know how to go about it without deviating quite a bit from the movie storyline so I just kinda let go and made it the way I wanted to! Thank you to everyone who's even thought this fic looked interesting and stopped by for a minute!  
> What do you think the letter Kyoko gave Kokichi says?


End file.
